Tipping

Hi, Dawn-- Tipping in the wedding instrustry (and other places) has really gotten out of hand. One reception place we visited requires a 20% gratuity for all service people. That was an additional $3,000!! If the DJ and the photographer are the owners of their own businesses, I would recommend not tipping them. They are offering their services for a particular fee, and you are contracting with them to pay that amount. If you are especially pleased with their services, then I`m sure they would appreciate a note after the wedding. Many wedding professionals rely on these types of notes to entice new customers. You could even consider offering yourself as a reference.

I was actually just talking about this subject and feel it can get out of hand. Most of the people working your wedding (DJ, Photographer, Priest) all set a fee and even have a contract signed. So I do not believe any of these poeple should be tipped. I will be paying a flat fee for their services. It`s not like these people are waitress making $2.15 and hour. They are getting paid well for their time. Depending on the DJ you could be paying an average of $50 - $100 an hour. I believe that is plenty.

The general rule of thumb is you do not tip the owner of a business. If the photographer brings an assistant and it is not his or her wife or husband then you "ettiquette wise" tip them. However I believe 15-20% is a bit much. If you paid $1,000 (which isn`t that much) for your photographer then you would be tipping the assitant $150-$200 and that is a bit much. Because I am sure they are already make a bare minimum of $10 and hour some make upwards of $50 as an assistant. Personally I believe $40-$50 would be more than enough. The delivery people (deliver chairs, flowers, linens, cake and etc...) I read somewhere that you tio $10 each.